Hold Your Breath
by meganisnotgraceful
Summary: Sometimes the most unexpected things lead to some of the best endings. Team Gibbs finds themselves faced with the unexpected challenge of incorporating a high school intern into their team dynamics and it leads them on some interesting adventures. Kind-of. Maybe.


**This idea has been in my head for months and I've seriously been searching high and low for a story like this and there were none so I've decided to make my own, mostly because cute little scenes keep popping up in my head throughout the days. This chapter is quite short and probably a bit awkward but I promise it will get better. 3 Enjoy!**

**I don't own NCIS or any other things that you know about. I only own Zoë O'Connell and other mismatched characters of that sort.**

"Thank you Leon, you don't know how much this will mean to Miss O'Connell. She's been doing everything she could to gain enough credits but since this is her last year she doesn't have enough time to take on anymore classes." The man behind the desk in front of Leon Vance was a man he very rarely attempted to see. Marcus Sloane was a man he had gone to high school with, chubby and unfortunately red he still acted as if he was a sight for sore eyes. And when he had called him asking for a favor Vance was half tempted to tell him no, but the idea of ruining a kids future and the chance to annoy Gibbs was all too prevalent in his decision to come down to the local arts school that Sloane attempted to half-ass run.

Leon leaned back in the overstuffed chair, pushing his toothpick from the left of his mouth to the right. "She just better know that my agency isn't a play-ground and she's there to work and learn." To be honest he figured the girl wouldn't be given much to do and he and Gibbs would both just sign the damn papers saying she fully finished and exceeded in her work study. "But how is working for me going to help her graduate a performing arts school, Sloane? Isn't the point of this school to help kids get into places like Julliard?" Was Julliard a college? Who knew, Vance certainly didn't. And apparently by the look on Sloane's face, neither did he.

"From what our career councilor has learned, Zoë wishes to live out her life in a more hands-on job, music and the arts are more of a hobby and partial back up plan. Unlike a lot of my students, she's a realist. She doesn't expect to be on Broadway or to be signed to a record label and so she wants to ensure that her future will be planned out." Sloane read from the girl's open file on his desk. Truthfully he hadn't even asked the girl yet if she was willing to graduate next year or do the work study or whatever else either of them could think of. It was the truth saying Zoë was a realist, she might not look it but she knew what was possible and what wasn't and she'd do whatever possible to ensure that she was properly cared for. "Should I call her in?"

"Realist, huh? Yeah, call the kid in." Leon was actually looking forward to meeting the 17 year old girl, knowing she had absolutely no idea about what was going down in the principal's office. Sloane pushed a button on a speaker and requested her presence. Now it was a waiting game, and Leon found himself wondering if the girl would actually show up. Sloane had pointed out over the phone last week that the kid tended to take her sweet time doing things and getting places and her attendance wasn't the greatest. He was really sticking it to Gibbs this time if O'Connell agreed.

The door was pushed open to reveal a petite girl with long cherry red hair and dark brown eyes that stood out against her pale unblemished skin. She walked in fully and closed the door behind her, raising a dark eyebrow at the sight of a man she didn't know. Sloane stood and motioned for Zoë to take the seat next to Vance, smiling evenly as he did so. Vance studied her features as she moved to the seat. She didn't seem too impressed and as she sat stiffly in the chair next to him with her legs crossed and her arms crossed under her chest, her bright red lips formed a tight scowl.

Sloane took his seat once more. "Zoë, this is Director Leon Vance of NCIS and he has been kind enough to offer you a work study in his agency to earn the credits you need to graduate." He seemed proud of himself, Vance noted. His ruddy and chubby cheeks had brightened considerably and he was grinning something fierce. Leon really didn't like the man, never had and by the new annoyed look on Zoë's face, neither did she. It definitely took a certain type of person to like Marcus Sloane and Vance and O'Connell were definitely not those types of people.

"NCIS? Never heard of it." She adverted her eyes from her principal to the man next to her. Vance didn't even blink, not many civilians or anyone else for that matter knew of NCIS. They figured any problems involving military personnel were taken care of the same way as anyone else. He couldn't blame her for her ignorance, it was commonly shared among the people of the states.

Vance nodded. "It stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Services. My people investigate crimes within the naval unit of the military. Your principal called me for a favor and so I'm inviting you to do a work study in my agency as an intern." He was offered a blank stare with his explanation and would have tried to explain it a different way if it wasn't for the loose smirk on her lips and how she leaned back into the chair, practically sinking into it. He was kind of hoping she would just get up and leave and save him the time and energy from doing a shit ton of paper work. It was going to be a pain to go through all the precautions of working an untrained civilian into the agency and that was why he would make her Gibbs' problem.

"Sure, why not? Sounds better than what I had originally planned." Zoë stood up, followed by the two men in the room and put her hand out for Vance. She wasn't much of a hand-shake kind-of girl but she had been gauging him throughout their whole meeting and figured he was probably a bit up tight and didn't want her usual hug. She also did this because if she hugged him, Sloane wouldn't probably want one and she just wasn't going there. Vance placed his card in her hand claiming he'd be in touch at some point in the week to set up her first day and the rest of her schedule.

They walked out together leaving Sloane forgotten and behind his desk, neither of them felt like staying in the presence of him any longer. Zoë started to take off back to her gym class that she wasn't participating in when Vance grabbed her arm.

"So what was your original plan?"

Zoë laughed and started to walk away before calling over her shoulder, "A stripper!"


End file.
